Fisher King
by Drakai
Summary: When an ancient, royal bloodline of extraordinary power vanishes from its land, the land grieves for them. Now that the last of their line has returned, the land will rejoice, and a new Golden Age will envelop the Kingdom of Whirlpool. GB character.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto Uzumaki sat on his bed, staring blankly in front of him. Just a few moments before Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, and a woman he considered family, told him that, because _he_ failed to bring back Sasuke Uchiha, e would be banished.

The Council of Civilians, and the Elder Advisors, had a lot of power nowadays. So much so, that the poor blonde was not the only one that would me going. Shikamaru Nara, his first (and sometimes only, he thought) friend, Chūnin leader of the mission, and son of one of the members of the Ninja Council, was also banished.

His father put up a very big fight, to the surprise of many, considering his lazy nature, but it was ultimately useless.

Naruto didn't know what to expect when his friend came to visit him, but he wasn't prepared for acceptance. Shikamaru didn't blame the blonde. Far from it, in fact, he told him they would go on together, and invited him for a family dinner.

The next night at the Nara clan household was difficult. Yoshino, Shikamaru's mother, did a lot of crying mixed in with cursing and threatening, and his father Shukaku was quiet for most of the night, deep in thought. When the time came for Naruto to go home and prepare, Yoshino gave him a tight, bone0-crushing hig, while Shukaku gave him a pat on the back and a few parting words of wisdom.

"Remember to always stick together." He said. "You will be able to survive easier. But find the time to enjoy the clouds every now and again."

But, as uncomfortably hard as that was, it was still the easier. _Now_ came the hard part.

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Naruto snuck into the ground of the Aburame clan compound that night, heading for the lone bench to the side of the garden, under a big tree. There she sat. Her back was turned to him, showing only a semi-short spiky mane of soft brown hair.

"Hey." He sat next to her. The girl turned her head to him, showing a beautiful face with full lips, a cute nose and soft, deep brown eyes, at the moment not hidden behind the round sunglasses her clan was famous for. Said eyes were currently puffy and red as tears leaked from them.

"It's not fair." She hugged him, sobbing quietly into his shoulder.

"Shina…" Naruto sighed, kissing the top of her head gently. She just shook her head, muttering 'It's not fair' over and over again.

It took a few minutes for the Aburame heiress to calm down enough for her to regain some semblance of her former calm demeanor. Though her eyes were still red. "My apologies for the outburst, Naruto." She blushed when he leaned in and pecked her on the lips.

"So I take it you've heard." A lousy attempt to make light of his situation.

"Not amusing." A _failed_ lousy attempt at that.

The blonde chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Shina shook her head, but there was a small smile on her lips. He kissed her again, drawing her into his lap and slowly caressing her body, down to her ass.

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An hour or so later the two had gotten dressed and were standing closely under the tree, hands clasped firmly between them.

"UIt would be… illogical for you to ask me to wait." She said flatly, after a long, drawn out silence.

"Yes, it would." He answered with a neutral expression on his face. "So I won't" He leaned in again, but stopped just inches from her lips, slowly pulling back. "Goodbye."

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Morning came all too quickly, and people were gathered around the village gate. There were some teary-eyed faces closest to it, but most had come to see their mortal enemy finally be banished from their home forever.

Naruto felt a strange relief as he looked over the people that came to see e him off. There were more that he thought there'd be.

Tsunade was crying again. Or still, it looked like it could be either one. Shizune was on her left, a few tears in her eyes, but looking much more composed than the Hokage, and Jiraiya was on her right, rubbing her back soothingly with a stony expression.

Iruka was also there, and the Ichiraku family, is own Jōnin-Sensei Kakashi, as well as some other Sensei, and his fellow Genin.

He had a small, sad smile on his face when he came to the last person in the line, who turned out to be Shina Aburame, flanked by her father Shibi.

"You came." He said, grasping her hand in his.

"I decided there is nothing logical about love. So I came." She gave a small smile, taking off her sunglasses. Naruto always loved her eyes. They were so soft and warm, full of love and affection. But only ever for him. She put the glasses on his head, his blue eyes half-hidden by the black lenses. "Keep those always. I love you." She grabbed him, giving him a surprisingly passionate kiss, shocking their old classmates. "I…"

"I know." He smiled at her, turning around and walking through the gate.

"Well, looks like congratulations are in order." Shikamaru commented when they left the gate.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" The Nara just shook his head.

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_**Another **_**another new story. One, with a title I think I should explain a little.**

** tvtropes pmwiki/pmwiki . php/Main/FisherKing**

**Or just give you a link so you can go and read for yourselves like the lazy bastard I am. That works too.**


	2. Chapter 2

For longer than a week the two friends hung around the Fire Nation, deciding what to do with their lives from that point.

"Ideas?" Shikamaru would ask.

"Why are you looking at me? You're the one with the brains."

"Because it'd be too troublesome to think about it. So you'll have to."

Naruto sighed, glancing up at the stars. While his best friend liked to watch the clouds, Naruto always was at ease most during the night.

One star in particular that night was glistening in North-East, almost invitingly.

"Well, since we have no idea where to go, we might as well follow." He pointed to the star. Shikamaru looked at it for a few moments before shrugging.

"Eh, works for me."

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The Country of Whirlpool was one of the last monarchies left among the Elemental Nations. Hailed as one greatest, and wealthiest, countries; the crown jewel, so to speak.

But wealth begets envy, of course.

So whirlpool country was destroyed, its ruling family eradicate. All but a single little girl, on her way to Konoha at the time.

Sadly, the once great island was now a dark and desolate place. The remaining Councilors tried to form a makeshift government, which failed to properly handle to people so used to living and prospering under a single king. Even the nature on the island itself seemed to lose all hope. The trees and grass withered, the lakes dried up, and the whirlpools that once guarded the land disappeared.

Shikamaru and Naruto disembarked at the small port of the capitol. They walked around a little, trying to find a place to resupply, saddened by the state of the place.

Having no luck, they decided to travel inland. Walking next to the guarded gates of the castle, they overheard the two guards talking.

"So how long has it been, now?"

"Too long to count. Ever since the last Great War, where our king was felled in battle… Our beautiful country is such a sad place now. The next ruler, when he comes, will be very disappointed."

"Yeah, you mean _if _he comes."

"Don't talk that way."

"And why not? Seems to me that family is all but done for."

"We have to have faith. Faith that the kings of old will return, and that the Uzumaki family will bring our country to greatness again."

Naruto froze in his tracks, turning to the great caste in wonder. His _family _was there. Shikamaru, who was a little ahead of him, called Naruto back, but the blonde ignored him, taking off in a run towards the castle. In one jump he cleared the gate and the two startled guards, landing on the hard ground on the inside of the grounds. Without stopping or looking back he ran towards the large doors.

"Hey! Hey, you can't be there!" one of the guards yelled, getting ready to go after him.

"Wait." The other stopped him. "Look." He motioned to the spot on the ground where Naruto landed. The earth on the castle grounds was dry and cracked. Everywhere but each spot on the ground where Naruto's foot touched it. From there, lush, green grass. "You there." The guard turned to Shikamaru. "What is your friend's name?"

"Naruto." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"No, no, his last name."

"Uzumaki." The teen frowned at the excited and joyous faces the two guards were sporting.

"Quickly, we have to tell everyone. They've returned." They ran off towards the town, leaving the gate unguarded behind them.

Shikamaru stood there for a moment, looking between the castle and the direction the two guards ran, before shrugging and following them.

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The door to the castle wasn't barred. It wasn't even locked, so Naruto had no trouble whatsoever getting in.

The main hall was long and tall, with a black marble walkway flanked by columns carrying golden bowls on the top filled with a strange liquid that, as Naruto passed each one, lit up in a bright blue flame. St the end of the walkway there was a raised oval podium in front of large windows decorated with various scenes of heroics. On the podium were two large thrones made from marble, white in color with purple velvet cushions.

Along the hall, close to the wall, statues were lined up, donned in expensive looking armor or clothes, holding various weapons or scepters.

Naruto tore his eyes from the thrones and walked to the smallest statue, the last one in line. It was of a young girl, a few yeqars younger than he was now, dressed in a very expensive kimono, with both hands clasped in front of her, holding a single lily flower. The plaque on the stand read…

"Kushina." Naruto muttered lightly, putting his hand in her stony ones. "Mom." He stood there for a few moments, holding the hand of the statue of his mother's teenage years, head lowered in sadness, before turning and walking to the white marble throne on the right. It was the bigger one, decorated with black veins, and on it sat a golden crown, engraved with vines and decorated with only two gems, one a sapphire and the other an emerald.

He took the crown in his hands nervously and, taking a deep breath, put it on his head. It slid down over his eyes, hanging barely by his bent ears. He chuckled and readjusted it, the metal shrinking to wrap snuggly around his head. The thing had to weigh at least a few pounds, but Naruto couldn't feel it on his head at all. He touched the crown once, just to make sure it was still really there, and sat down on the throne.

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The two guards were surprisingly fast, as Shikamaru soon found out, and by the time he slowly trotted to the village square, they had already gathered what looked to be most of the villagers. Two men and one woman stood at the front, looking regal, even in their torn clothes.

The first man was tall and slim, dressed like the others in simple clothes. His grey hair was cut in a short ponytail and he had a well-kept goatee. His green eyes were fixated on the two guards, listening to their words with rapt attention.

The other one was shorter than the first, and had the look of a once-fat man. He had brown hair that fell neatly around his head, brown eyes, and a trimmed mustache.

The only woman was the tallest there, passing her colleague by a few inches. She had long black hair tied in a braid with an icy-blue ribbon, matching perfectly with the color of her piercing eyes.

The three were the first ones to the guards, standing in front of the other villagers, eyes fixated on the excited guards, keeping perfectly still before, as one, turning towards the castle and taking off, sparing Shikamaru a momentary glance.

The Nara sighed, muttering to himself about walking all the way back.

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The moment Naruto sat on the throne, previously-invisible runes cared onto the raised podium lit up in a soft green glow, running towards the door, leaving trails at the edge of the walkway. When the light hit the door the entire room lit up in a mixture of green and white, shooting upwards and into the sky, scattering the dark clouds that were blocking the sun's rays from reaching the ground. Then both Naruto and the land itself started to change.

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Outside, the once barren lands began to grow soft, green grass, first around the castle, then outwards, blanketing the whole island. Once-dead trees regained their strength and color, the lakes and ponds cleared.

Animals and insects could once again be heard from all around, and even the village itself began to change, fixing the brick houses and cobble paths up.

The sea surrounding the island started stirring, first slowly, then faster and faster, finally making the multiple whirlpools the country had gotten its name from, barring entry to all travelers.

In a few moments the whole island, and everything on it, looked like the famed paradise it was supposed to be.

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As for Naruto, his changes were fewer, but no less significant. He grew in stature, going from shortest in his old class to most certainly the tallest. His eyes kept changing color, switching from blue to green before settling on the latter, and gaining an ethereal glow, seeming to shift and twirl around, seeming like the sea that surrounded the island.

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The people stopped in their tracks, in the garden in front of the castle, looking at the green glow in wonder. The three regal people were at the front, flanked by Shikamaru and the two guards. After a moment of silence the door to the balcony had opened up and his old friend stepped inside, changed but still recognizable.

The people looked at the young man and bowed, foreheads to the ground, leaving Shikamaru to stand to the side awkwardly.

Their King had returned.


	3. Chapter 3

The island among the whirlpools was truly a magnificent place. It was situated between a great number of them, the potent Uzumaki presence causing each to spin in a slightly different speed, direction and angle. One would need complex charts and the vast experience of a life-long sea captain to get through the dangerous vortices. And that was just the first line of defense.

Of course, and Uzumaki was always an option, but those were a bit hard to come by.

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He could just feel the headache coming.

Ten years had passed and the island country had flourished. The people, used to living uder the rule of a king for centuries, were happy that the rightful ruler had returned. Even the island itself was happy. Only, it was raining.

For the last decade, for a week every year the weather was horrible. Oh, it would always recover afterwards, and it never lasted for more than seven days, but during that week the king, and with him the island… well, sulked was the only word for it. No one was entirely sure what went on in the castle, except maybe the steward.

The former Nara heir had, having nothing much to do after his friend was crowned, been convinced b the same friend, however begrudgingly, to stay on as his steward. Though everyone knew that he was what basically amounted to the royal advisor.

Shikamaru, being as smart as he was, had some basic idea about what was going on. It would start with a ninja courier, carrying a 'very important message from the west'. He would read the letter alone, in silence and with a small, sad smile on his face. His round sunglasses, usually always on his nose so they would cover the lower half of his eyes, were always in his hands, anxiously twirled around his fingers. His eyes, scanning the piece of paper, were showing… Sadness? Happiness? Anger? Maybe a little bit of each.

Shikamaru had a sneaking suspicion Shina would send those notes. They weren't sent in January (her birthday), or November (his), or even on the anniversary of their exile. They always arrived maybe eight to ten months after.

This year, though, there was something different. There were two letters. After the first one Naruto showed more anger than ever. And after the second Shikamaru could almost swear he saw his friend crying.

"Shika?" Naruto called a few moments later, gathering himself.

"Yeah?"

"Call the Royal Court."

"Naruto… is everything alright?"

"Just go." Naruto sighed sadly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'll explain everything when they get here."

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The Royal Court was just a name Naruto had given for the gathering of himself, Shikamaru and the three ministers of his Kingdom. Basically because calling them the council or the advisors just left a bad taste in his mouth.

"I have been king for ten years." Naruto started simply, wasting no time. "And I would like to think I'd been pretty good at it." The three older people murmured something in agreement while Shikamaru gave a 'so-so' gesture. "Thank you Shika. And for all ten years you have been hounding me to get married, yes?"

"Well I wouldn't exactly say 'hounded', sire." One of them said.

"No? I would." Naruto shrugged. "Well, I am happy to say that it was completely unnecessary. I am already married."

"You are, sire? To who?"

"A classmate of ours." Shikamaru muttered, looking equal parts bored and interested. "But why now? What's changed?"

"Now?" The Minister of Culture asked. "Who married you?"

"I did." Naruto answered simply.

"But you cannot do that?"

"Why not!" Naruto yelled suddenly, jumping up from his throne, startling the others. "It is by my power that all other marriages have been performed in the last decade. And I declare us to be married!"

"But…" One Minister started.

"I will not allow any possibility of a mistake. No matter how slight." His voice was low and quiet and very, very threatening.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru was the only one brave enough to step forward. He put a hand on his shoulder and forced him to sit back. "Calm down."

"My apologies." Naruto sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You asked what changed, Shikamaru? This did." He handed the second letter to his friend. It was written on and orange sheet of paper with a dark brown crayon.

_Dear Daddy,_

_Mommy said she's gonna send you a letter and I wanted to write one for you. So hi, daddy. My name Kushina and I'll be ten years old in a few days and long and pretty red hair and blue eyes. Mommy said I act just like you did when you were younger, but she always looks so sad. And she always cries a few months after my birthday. I still have all the presents you sent me, I wear the hat every night and I love my froggy wallet. But I don't think the rest of the villagers like me very much. They always glare at me, and sometimes they try to hit me or throw stuff at me, but mommy or uncle Chocho always come to save me. Mommy is scary when she's angry. My birthday's pretty soon, and I know you'll send me a present, but this year I have a wish. I want my daddy. I don't care if you come to stay in Konoha or if you take me away, but I want daddy, mommy and me to be a family together._

_I love you daddy,_

_ Kushina Aburame Uzumaki_

_P.S. Mommy says uncle Shishi went away with you, so hi uncle Shishi!_

"Uncle Shishi?" Shikamaru muttered after a few moments with a small smile on his face. "Cute."

"Yeah." Naruto smiled, turning to the three still-confused people in the room. "So gather my Royal Guard. We're going to Konoha to get my wife and my daughter."

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Shina Aburame (Uzumaki) sat on her private bench in her private garden, looking at her daughter playing a couple of feet away. She smiled as she focused her dark, narrow eyes back down on the letter in her hand, written in very neat calligraphy, promising her that her newly-declared husband would be there in just a couple of days.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, sweety?"

"IS daddy coming to get us?"

"Yes, sweety. Yes he is."


End file.
